Homeless America by Chris Hedges

[Rideski]

[KQ]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/257947750072918?fs=e&s=m

[frorider]

It's crazy how much anger is out there and encountered on a daily basis. I mean, when was the last time anybody has gone about their day without seeing at least 1 agro person.

I get your point but tbh I go weeks at a time with zero encounters with aggrieved people, on the road or elsewhere.

[skaredshtles]

I get your point but tbh I go weeks at a time with zero encounters with aggrieved people, on the road or elsewhere.

Me too.

Though I don't get out much.

[Peruvian]

We have 0.5 - 3% vacancy rates across a rural state like Vermont but clearly it’s these deadbeats fault that they can’t find housing.

https://vtdigger.org/2023/06/07/this...19-in-vermont/

[Peruvian]

Median incomes by state:

Mass ~$37k
NH ~ $37k
CT ~ $39k
VT ~ $33k
ME ~ $31k
RI ~ $34k

Two working people in a household to afford a 2 bdrm apartment across all of New England.

[east or bust]

My brother has lived in Williston for about 2 years now. I know COVID jacked things up, but his current rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is more than I was paying in downtown Scottsdale AZ just before the pandemic. That is fucked.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[riser4]

My brother has lived in Williston for about 2 years now. I know COVID jacked things up, but his current rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is more than I was paying in downtown Scottsdale AZ just before the pandemic. That is fucked.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

I grew up in Williston back when all those apartments were farm fields.

[Buster Highmen]

Williston and the UND campus,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a long ride that night, both literally and
figuratively. Looking down the wrong end of a large
handgun has had a lasting effect. Since that night,
playing honestly, looking directly into the moment
became a maxim and a goal.

Mike and the old hooker, who never did tell us her
name, dropped us off in Williston and motored off. I
can't say if I'd ever been more relieved.

Sticking to I-94 was part of the strategy, but figured
we could find a place to crash somewhere at the UND
Williston campus since we did get a decent ride.
Little did we realize how different a world this was.

We dragged our duffles and the skis a couple of miles
over to the campus. To our surprise, the place was
locked up tight. Every student we saw, when
approached, ran off and hid, pulling curtains and
closing doors in their wake.

Exhausted isn't a sufficient word for the way I felt:
hung with weight, depressed, confused and leaden.
Exasperated, Jon and I wandered into a field near the
dorms and collapsed. We each pulled out the blankets
Doc had given to us and rolled up in it
out in the field. I passed out.

Then something woke me up. I didn't really understand
it at the time and I was so dog tired, I just wanted
to sleep some more, but something wasn't right. I
listened. Nothing. I couldn't see anything unusual and
my mind bounced back and forth between
going back to sleep and trying to figure out what the
matter was. I thought that maybe I had to piss or
something, so I sat up.

Then I fell over.

I sat up again and again toppled over, scraping my
face on the brush and rocks. I began to realize what
was going on. My arms were useless, limp and numb. My
legs were numb.

At that moment, I knew that I had to get up or I was
going to freeze to death. I felt warm and tired and
just ached to lay back down and forget about it. But I
knew if I did, I'd die.

So I began to flop. I thrashed. I raked my face
several times across the scrub and stones in the
field. I flapped my arms for aeons and finally they
came back with that wretched electric tingling. Then I
could at least sit up
and use my arms to steady myself while I kicked the
blood back into my legs. That also took an eternity,
but finally I was able to stand up and stagger over to
where Jon lay.

I toed Jon several times, eliciting a stream of dopey
verbal abuse. "Get up" I said "get up, Jon, we're
freezing to death".

Jon sat up about to give me the what for and promptly
fell over. The next time I saw his face, I could see
the terror on it. I watched him thrash and buck the
blood back into his system until he could get up.

We didn't talk much, but with the temperatures in the
teens, we knew we had to get inside. So dragging our
stuff, we sluffed into the town looking for a place to
get warm.
__________________


Laundromat

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was about 4 a.m. and in this tiny town out along
the great curves of the Northern praries, not much was
open. We ankled blocks looking for something open or a
motel, but nada, zip, zilch for blocks in the searing
cold. Finally, rounding a corner o
nto the main drag, there was an all night laundromat.
Saved by a laundromat.

Inside it was warm and lit with the standard blue
phlorescent glow. Obvious signs stated: No Loitering.
With no desire to flaunt the social norms of this
clearly different culture, we honored the stipulation
by tossing our clothes into dryers and sli
ding dimes into the slots for a 10 minute spin.

There was about an hour of pleasant nodding in the
classic plastic molded chairs after our bodies thawed
out. We'd dutifully ply the slots with dimes and then
slump into protosleep, cupped in those petroleum
product seats.

I had just opened an eye when I caught the tail of a
black and white cruiser pulling into the lot, obscured
by the bank of dryers. Holding my stash in my pocket,
I jumped up, threw the pipe and stashbox into the
spinning dryer and slumped back into t
he chair, feigning sleep.

The cops walked in with nightstick outs, brandishing
them against the enormous threat Jon and I posed. They
yelled "up against the wall, spread your legs" and the
pat down commenced.

I was gripped in panic. Jon's stash was in his duffle,
while mine seasoned the airspace with rhythmic
ka-clunks for each spin of the dryer.

"Whar ya frum" they barked.

Ka-klunk...

"Portland, Oregon" I replied.

Ka-klunk...ka-klunk...

"Whar ya going" their next order.

Ka-klunk...ka-klunk...

"Minneapolis" I said.

Ka-klunk...ka-klunk...ka-klunk...

They shoved us down into the chairs. I could hear the
jail keys clanging.

Ka-klunk...ka-klunk...

"Whudya do?"

Ka-klunk...ka-klunk...ka-klunk...

Jon spoke "We're college students..." and he produced
his i.d. I followed suit.

Ka-klunk...ka-klunk...ka-klunk...ka-klunk...


After some more stock questions, huddles and trips to
radio the base from the cruiser, they decided to let
us go. We were cautioned that we had to be out of town
by morning.

So with flesh reddened from frostbite, we shouldered
our stuff and began to walk out of town.
__________________

[riser4]

Different Williston entirely.

[ex-powderbroker]

https://www.latimes.com/california/n...ial-california

Researchers surveyed nearly 3,200 people experiencing homelessness across eight counties in the state, using their answers to create representative statewide estimates. They also conducted in-depth interviews with 365 of those participants.

The study found that nearly half (47%) of all unhoused adults in the state are 50 or older, with Black and Native American residents “dramatically overrepresented.” Notably, 41% of that share became homeless for the first time at 50 or older.

Safety net seems to be missing a few.

[jackstraw]

https://www.latimes.com/california/n...ial-california




Safety net seems to be missing a few.

I just skimmed over the full report linked in that article. It appears to be very thorough and at the same time disheartening, which I suppose was to be expected. This problem will take a full societal mind-shift to fix.

[Trackhead]

This problem will take a full societal mind-shift to fix.

Or multiple generations of non-traumatic childhoods, abuse, neglect from shit, chaotic upbringings with single parent (s), drug addicted or alcoholic parent(s), etc. '

The
majority (82%) reported a period in their life where
they experienced a serious mental health condition.
More than one quarter (27%) had been hospitalized
for a mental health condition; 56% of these hospitalizations occurred prior to the first instance of
homelessness. Nearly two thirds (65%) reported
having had a period in their life in which they
regularly used illicit drugs. Almost two thirds (62%)
reported having had a period in their life with heavy
drinking (defined as drinking at least three times a
week to get drunk, or heavy intermittent drinking).
More than half (57%) who ever had regular use of
illicit drugs or regular heavy alcohol use had ever
received treatment.

[stuckathuntermtn]

We need more greedy landlords.

[CarlMega]

Read a somewhat glib article yesterday about how Douglas County CO just instituted a strict permit process for camping.

That's fine. We have a ton of homeless camping issues here too - it's a legitimate safety concern (fires, trash, unpoliced crime).

But, what I found interesting was the some comments from the commissioner about how this was them 'getting ahead of the homeless issue'.

To summarize it: Douglas county was going to more or less round up permitless campers and (maybe) get them to existing shelters (outside of Douglas fwiw very clearly stated they won't be building shelters).

I guess I just can't see how this doesn't just shift the problem to neighboring communities and is an approach that could scale? To me, it just gives you the legal standing to move people out of your county and dump them in someone's county.

The old: Step one: outlaw camping Step two: Step three: Profit!

Maybe someone with more knowledge can elaborate and explain it? Maybe it's more nuanced than NIMBY.

I absolutely appreciate the seriousness of illegal camping - no argument. I just can't stitch together how they were talking about this as a comprehensive action plan.

[skaredshtles]

<snip>
I guess I just can't see how this doesn't just shift the problem to neighboring communities and is an approach that could scale? To me, it just gives you the legal standing to move people out of your county and dump them in someone's county.

The old: Step one: outlaw camping Step two: Step three: Profit!

Maybe someone with more knowledge can elaborate and explain it? Maybe it's more nuanced than NIMBY.

I absolutely appreciate the seriousness of illegal camping - no argument. I just can't stitch together how they were talking about this as a comprehensive action plan.

It's Douglas County - of course NIMBY is *exactly* what they are doing. You really need look no further.

[AdironRider]

One county can't force another county to implement the same statutes, notably in absence of state or federal action. So they do what they can.

[hatchgreenchile]

Comprehensive action plans? Those sound expensive. One way bus tickets, camping bans and the occasional sweep are on the menu.

Our town is struggling with it too. The one group we have trying to foster change will be NIMBYed, which is troubling, but when Joe Citizen and Family are effected (ex. vandalization, library shutdown, open drug use), people run out of patience. It's very challenging.

[CarlMega]

One county can't force another county to implement the same statutes, notably in absence of state or federal action. So they do what they can.

But back to the overall futility. Let's say in reaction to Douglas - all the other counties implement the same. So what are we in now? An arms race to see which counties can ship out homeless to the neighboring ones faster? Start in Douglas - over to Boulder - over to Denver - over to Jefferson - back to Douglas. Repeat.

Again - maybe there's nuance absent here but it seems some coordination and communication might result in something actually productive? Negotiated terms with agencies and areas equip'd to handle influx.

That commisioner spokesperson was taking a victory lap and proclaiming [claps hands] job done!

[Trackhead]

We need more greedy landlords.

Are you a landlord by any chance?

[Trackhead]

A huge contributor, again, is upbringing. You can lower rent, give free housing, free this and that, but it won't fix generation after generation of traumatic childhoods. Look no further than your local Indian Reservation. Endless repeat generational youth rape, incest, drug/alcohol abuse, grandparents raising grandkids, endless foster car. States can pour all the money they want into fixing it after it occurs, but it won't change anything. Gotta fix it BEFORE it becomes broken. Our societal downfall is continuing, and will continue.

[MontuckyFried]

A huge contributor, again, is upbringing. You can lower rent, give free housing, free this and that, but it won't fix generation after generation of traumatic childhoods. Look no further than your local Indian Reservation. Endless repeat generational youth rape, incest, drug/alcohol abuse, grandparents raising grandkids, endless foster car. States can pour all the money they want into fixing it after it occurs, but it won't change anything. Gotta fix it BEFORE it becomes broken. Our societal downfall is continuing, and will continue.

That's something that Mark Laita of Soft White Underbelly pointed out once. The tragic truth that without a time machine to go back and prevent childhood trauma, no amount of money is going to fix things. You just can't undo some of those deep wounds. And that guy knows the subject matter better than all of us combined. I remember him saying you can give the average homeless person a million dollars and they'll fuck it all up within a week. Even HE hasn't figured out the magic formula to fix things, despite his desperate attempts to find a solution. In the meantime, he's at least done an outstanding job humanizing the situation and letting people tell their own stories.

[Trackhead]

Yeah, I’ve spent the last 27 years with homeless patients in ERs all over the country. Most of them come from shit, absolute shit, upbringings.

I’m rural healthcare now, and I’ve seen one homeless person in the past two years. No meth/heroin, very few drunks. In the past, half the ER patients at any given time were homeless in a lotta places I worked.

[Cisco Kid]

I hear you saying wealth comes homelessness and agree. Stats agree. But I don't know anything about dirt poor rural places in the country outside of the
North East. What would make Big Springs TX or Ely NV. immune to the problem? Maybe fewer people being around people just like them breeds fewer societal losers?

[Trackhead]

^^^no idea. I know there are meth heads and drunks in my tiny town of 1800 people. But we see zero homeless and almost zero in the ER with drug addiction. Maybe they all migrate to a little bigger city nearby? 35 miles away there are the typical amount of homeless in a city of about 80,000.

No resources for them here. None. Maybe that’s part of it.